Trio of dropped Samoan stars fined

The three Samoan players dropped for Saturday’s opening Four Nations Series match against England have each been fined £5,500 ($10,000 Australian dollars), the National Rugby League have announced.

Reni Maitua, Tautau Moga and Sauaso Sue have been punished for their part in a nightclub incident in Brisbane last weekend.

Nick Weeks, the NRL’s general manager of integrity, said: ‘These are very substantial penalties for the players involved.

Maitua was fined along with Tautau Mogo and Sauaso Sue, and dropped from the Samoa side

‘And we will continue to take a tough stance against players who damage the reputation of our game through these kinds of incidents.’

Samoa’s coach Matt Parish stood the players down from the England match after it was revealed they were the subject of an NRL Integrity Unit review.

Moga was arrested after a brawl outside a club in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley where Samoan players had been taken to meet invited fans.

The trio are likely to return in time to play New Zealand in Samoa’s next game.